1st Annual Poster Contest

On May 10, 2013 volunteers announced the winners of the 1st Annual Shannon J. Shaw Memorial Fund Poster Contest; the theme for this year was "UV Ray Protection for Summer Fun Perfection." The poster contest was open to all students (grades K-12) in the Albuquerque Public School system. The judging criteria was based on the over all creativity and sun safety message/theme and of course that all of the requirements were met. Thanks to one of the fund's goals of educating the youth of New Mexico volunteers were able to award the winners and a donate $500 check to the school with the most participation.

We are looking forward to next year's poster contest and will be submitting the winning posters to the SunWise National poster contest. Prizes from the 2013 SunWise poster contest were as follows: Grades K-3 received digital cameras to the top five entries and for the national contest winner from grades 4-8 was awarded a family trip to Disney World. The national winners school also received a generous gift of a Shade 'N Net shade structure (up to a value of $12,000).

POSTER REQUIREMENTS:

1. Final Size: 8.5” x 11”

2. Original / hand drawn art (ANY MEDIUM THE STUDENT CHOOSES). The use of any trademarked or copy written art is cause for disqualification.

3. At least two of the following SunWise Action Steps for Sun Protection ideas must be incorporated into the poster:

Generously Apply Sunscreen : Generously apply sunscreen: about one ounce to cover all exposed skin 20 minutes before going outside. Sunscreen should have a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 15 and provide protection from both ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays. Reapply every two hours, even on cloudy days, and after swimming or sweating.

Wear Protective Clothing: Wear protective clothing, such as a long-sleeved shirt, pants, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses, when possible.

Seek Shade: Seek shade when possible and remember that the sun’s UV rays are strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Use Extra Caution near Water, Snow and Sand: Water, snow and sand reflect the damaging rays of the sun, which can increase your chance of sunburn.

UV Index: The UV Index provides important information to help you plan your outdoor activities in ways that prevent sun overexposure. The UV Index forecast is issued daily by the National Weather Service and EPA. Visit www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvindex.html.

Get Vitamin D Safely: Get Vitamin D safely through a diet that includes vitamin supplements and foods fortified with Vitamin D. Don’t seek the sun.

Congratulations to:Mitawa Johnson

Congratulations to:Phillip Carillo

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Albuquerque High School Students

Celebrate Summer Safety

Some art students at Albuquerque High School will start their summer in style, after a committee judged that their posters did the best job of raising sun safety awareness. The students were all participants in the First Annual Shannon J. Shaw Memorial Fund Poster Contest, which encouraged young artists to find a creative way to promote UV Ray Protection for Summer Fun Perfection. The poster contest was one of listentoyourmom.org’s outreach efforts. “It was a great start,” said Jeff Diamond, co‐founder of listentoyourmom.org. “These young men and women came up with some excellent creative ideas for advocating skin cancer prevention. Albuquerque High has some wonderful artists!”

Judges picked Jacob Martinez and his sunglasses‐themed poster as the winner. Mitawa Johnson and Phillip Carrillo’s posters were selected second and third, respectively. Savanna Molina received an honorable mention.

The students, who all attend Lisa Gillett’s class at Albuquerque High, received gift cards from the fund for their efforts. A prize was also awarded to the school, and teachers there were given information about skin cancer prevention and early detection. “I was approached by Jeff Diamond, father of Shannon J. Shaw, to promote a contest in his memory about the importance of educating about sun protection,” said Trudy Randour, Fine Arts Manager for Albuquerque Public Schools. “Jeff’s compassion for this cause grew into a contest that gives students knowledge about sun protection, while allowing for their creativity to be recognized. We are off to a good start and look forward to the opportunity to provide the promotion again next year!”

Possible themes for the poster contest included using sunscreen, wearing a wide‐brimmed hat and sunglasses, seeking shade, avoiding tanning beds, covering up with full‐length clothing and checking the UV index. Themes were taken from the EPA’s Sunwise program. The Jeff Diamond Law Firm, Shannon J. Shaw Memorial Fund and the American Cancer Society all sponsored and/or supported the event. Posters will go on display at local businesses. Judges included Mary Ann Weems, Larry Ahrens, Susan M. Seligman, Julie Kunrath, Rachael Alaimo‐Monson and Katie Marconett.

About the Shannon J. Shaw Memorial Fund/Listen to Your Mom Jeff and Evy Diamond’s son, Shannon J. Shaw, died from malignant melanoma on August 31, 2009. He received treatment at the Cancer Center of the University of New Mexico, and the Shannon J. Shaw Memorial Cancer Fund was established there in his memory. A website, www.listentoyourmom.org, tells Shannon’s story and provides information on educational and fundraising efforts aimed at fighting melanoma and cancer.